Raymond Jackson

Despite having played once or twice at M&T Bank Stadium, Dunbar's football players needed a little time to settle into the state playoff atmosphere Saturday afternoon.

After a disjointed first half, Lavar Highsmith returned the second-half-opening kickoff 52 yards to set the tone and the defense made two fourth-down stands to fight off a determined Perryville squad as the No. 6 Poets won their eighth state championship, 32-11, over the previously unbeaten Panthers.

"This means a lot to us," Poets linebacker Ernest Hawkins said. "Since Day One, we came in in the summer, working in the weight room, working just to get to the state championship. Plus, I'm a...

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Despite having played once or twice at M&T Bank Stadium, Dunbar's football players needed a little time to settle into the state playoff atmosphere Saturday afternoon.
After a disjointed first half, Lavar Highsmith returned the second-half-opening...

Despite having played once or twice at M&T Bank Stadium, Dunbar's football players needed a little time to settle into the state playoff atmosphere Saturday afternoon.After a disjointed first half, Lavar Highsmith returned the second-half-opening...

The final game of Saturday's I-95 Kickoff Classic was billed as the battle of Dunbars.By night's end, it become abundantly clear which team had the bigger "D."Fifth-ranked Dunbar of Baltimore held its Washington, D.C., counterpart to 75 yards of total...